Temple to cut 7 sports, including baseball, rowing

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Temple University says it is cutting seven sports programs in 2014, including baseball, women’s rowing and softball, among others. Nine coaches will lose their jobs.

The university said Friday the decision to cut the sports, which also include men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s crew and men’s gymnastics, was the culmination of the school’s underfunded athletic department and its large number of sports that it does field.

Athletic Director Kevin Clark announced the decision after nearly a year of reviewing the department’s offerings. He said 150 student-athletes will be affected and those under scholarship will be able to transfer out without having to sit out a year.

The last time Temple cut programs was in 1986, when it eliminated eight sports.